Vitam Aeternam
by Artemis1212
Summary: Immortality can be either a blessing or a curse. When Tom encounters a mysterious woman on his first trip to Diagon Alley he is fascinated. As the years progress, he becomes determined to claim the young teacher as his own. But everything is not as it appears and Tom may soon find himself not only battling for eternal life, but for his heart as well. TMRxOC, SBxOC
1. Prologue

The cracking of the flames reverberated throughout the packed but silent room as the group made its slow procession across the marbled floors. The flickering light of a thousand different candles reflected off the bejeweled and silk-clad ensemble, their joyous and colorful appearance providing a marked contrast to the tense atmosphere. Suddenly, a soft sob broke through the crowd, drawing the eyes of the youngest in the procession to the old nurse partially hidden amongst the guest's finery. The old woman was clutching her apron to her mouth as though to physically restrain her fervent protests with the cloth barrier.

"Eyes forward Selene," said the middle-aged woman to her left.

The young girl obeyed, turning her frightened eyes once more to the flickering flames coming ever nearer.

"This is a great honor being bestowed upon you, Selene," the woman continued as the wavering lights of the floating candles illuminated a golden crown atop silvering waves. "To be chosen by the Goddess herself… you have been truly blessed."

The girl said nothing, letting the cowl of her cape dip slightly forward to obscure her expression. One by one the other members of the procession branched off as they approached the circular dais upon which a roaring fire of blue flames stood.

"You will not fail me, Selene," the woman whispered, grasping the arm of her charge in a vice-like grip. "You will not fail your people. You will not insult your Goddess. This is your duty. You were born for this night and to this purpose."

Any protest the young girl might have raised was immediately quelled by the matriarchs' harsh final words and she instead focused on clearing her mind in preparation for the ceremony ahead…


	2. Chapter 1

Tom Riddle felt his breath catch in his throat as he hungrily took in the sights and sounds of Diagon Alley. He felt an overwhelming sense of _rightness_, of belonging for the first time in his entire life as he saw wizards and witches bustling about the hidden street, safe from the boring, pedestrian crowd of London. To his left stood a small shop advertizing a sale on pewter cauldrons and to his right a group of young witches walked briskly by, giggling and gossiping about some bloke named Stefan Le Ferve, a Quidditch star at the top of this week's _Witch's Weekly_ "Hottest Wizard's" column. Tom could barely quell his excitement.

_This is it_, he thought. _This is where I belong._

Reluctantly, he tore his gaze from his spectacular surroundings and scanned the list the professor had given him the other day. Right at the top of the old-fashioned parchment, in spidery script was the details regarding the Hogwarts account set up for students requiring financial assistance for the upcoming term. Tom quickly memorized the sequence of numbers and began scanning the streets for any indication of where Gringotts Bank might be located.

Immediately an imposing structure made entirely of white marble caught his eye. As he quickly made his way through the crowd Tom could not help but feel an all-encompassing sense of possessiveness over the building.

_What must it be like_, he pondered, _to enter such a building as its lord? To have those doormen bowing and scraping for HIM? To show everyone that HE is SOMEONE. Someone important._

The obvious power and wealth of the building made Tom suddenly conscious of his ragged, second-hand attire and his thin frame. He felt his fists clench in anger, whitening his knuckles as he thought of how he was forced to live with filthy orphans under the domineering thumb of Mrs. Cole. The old woman had kept an uncomfortably close eye on him ever since that… incident at the shore. He saw in his mind's eye the cave and the crashing surf as well as the terrified faces of Amy and Dennis. No one had ever caught on, no one except that odd man who claimed to be his new teacher. Gradually, he forced himself to relax and push the memories to the back of his mind.

_None of that matters anymore. I'm moving on to__—_

Tom's thought process was abruptly interrupted as he found himself falling straight to the unforgiving street and knew no more…


	3. Chapter 3

** Hello all. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I'm sorry that there hasn't been much progress yet and I hope that you enjoy the next few chapters. Cheers!**

"My Lady, perhaps this is not the best place to—"

"_Shh_ Appolonia. I think he might be coming around."

Tom winced as a sharp throbbing behind his right ear drew him achingly back into consciousness. The weak British sunlight seemed to pierce straight to the back of his skull as Tom attempted to glimpse his surroundings through slitted lids.

"Here, I think this might help," said a voice so soothing that it wrapped Tom up in its musical tones, making him feel warm and tingle all over. The voice mumbled something else that Tom couldn't quite catch and he felt a warm, bath-like sensation envelop his wound. Tom felt himself sink into the sensation, experiencing a comfort that he had never before known… but that he knew instinctively he wanted to experience forever. The pain quickly shrank away and Tom finally opened his eyes to see an angel hovering over him.

Tom blinked quickly to clear his vision and saw that the young woman before him could not possibly be from St. Peter's Gates without feathery wings or a golden halo, but that she must have been what had given mortal artists the inspiration for their design. Eyes of pure, liquid gold stared out from a face of stunning beauty. Her skin was like poured milk, all silky smoothness covering high cheekbones and a smooth forehead. Her lips were full and pink and her lashes dark and long. Waves of long golden hair surrounded her, appearing as if strands of moonlight and sunlight had mated into one.

Tom felt himself inhale sharply as those incredible eyes narrowed in confusion and the woman raised a gentle hand to probe the area of his injury.

"Are you alright? Your head should be fully healed, but if you're feeling any dizziness or disorientation we can bring you to St. Mungo's. What's your name?

"T-Tom. Tom Riddle," Tom stuttered out, struggling frantically to bring back some semblance of calm.

The woman smiled, revealing perfect rows of pearly white teeth. Tom felt blood rush to his face as he found himself entranced. _Could I really be… blushing?_

"Hello Mr. Riddle, my name is Selene."

The sound of a throat being cleared drew both of their gazes to the left to the striking woman just a few paces away. She had luminous mocha-colored skin and a serious, no-nonsense expression on her sharp features. Unlike her companion, who was dressed in what would be considered the height of Muggle fashion in an all-white suit with matching hat, this woman clearly had no qualms about disobeying British rules of fashion. A large broadsword strapped across her back complimented an outfit that could only be described as gladiatorial. Thick armored vambraces matched a silver breastplate and matching leather skirt, all embossed with an image of a phoenix aflame.

The woman cleared her throat again and, with a disapproving glance at Tom, stated, "I apologize my Lady, but we must be going. The Minister was expecting your arrival at Gringotts fifteen minutes ago."

"Very well Apollonia," the blonde woman replied with a small smile. "I suppose we cannot keep the esteemed gentleman waiting any longer… for diplomacy's sake of course." She glanced over at Tom once more and in a much softer tone asked, "Can you stand?"

"Of course I can. I'm not some sort of invalid. I can handle myself." Tom replied quickly, regretting his harsh tone as soon as he finished.

"Of course," the woman replied with an understanding smile. "But perhaps such an independent and capable young man wouldn't mind extending his services to two foreign women in need of a local guide. This is a new place for the both of us and we would so appreciate the guidance of such a competent man as yourself."

Tom felt the corner of his mouth quirk up at her dramatic speech and found himself dusting down his clothes and extending his arm to Selene, helping her rise from her knees.

"Of course my lady," Tom stated, "I would be happy to oblige." Tom heard Apollonia snort in the background. "Who is it that you are meeting at Gringotts again?"


End file.
